Day: March 20, 2017

A Michigan man who recently won $500,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket plans to only keep $5,000 of the prize and give the rest to his parents, state lottery officials said.

WWII VET SEARCHING FOR ‘ANGEL’ BEHIND ACT OF GROCERY STORE KINDNESS

“My parents have done so much for my sister and me,” the 19-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, said in a lottery bureau press release. “Helping them takes a big weight off of their shoulders and mine.”

The man said he bought the last $10 Golden Wild Time ticket at a Sunoco gas station near Lansing and scratched it off in the store, Fox 2 reported.

It was not immediately clear if the sister would get a cut of the spoils as well.

PARIS – Video of a suspected Islamic extremist at Paris’ Orly Airport shows a soldier caught by surprise when an attacker drops a shopping bag and grabs her from behind.

The Associated Press has obtained security footage of Saturday’s attack, which caused panic and shut down the French capital’s second-biggest airport. It shows the attacker grabbing the soldier around the shoulders as her companion patrols slightly ahead.

He drops his shopping bag, which authorities said contained a flask of gasoline. Holding a revolver loaded with birdshot, he pulls her backward.

BAGHDAD BOMB KILLS AT LEAST 23, WOUNDS DOZENS

For a few moments, almost no one reacts. One passenger rolls a suitcase past the hostage soldier and the second soldier continues on his way. Then, suddenly, people start backing away en mass as the attacker pulls his hostage toward them.

Yelling that he wanted to kill and die for Allah, according to the Paris prosecutor, Ziyed Ben Belgacem can be seeing trying to wrestle away the soldier’s assault rifle near the small cluster of people.

ISIS RECRUIT MAY HAVE USED WELFARE CASH TO FUND FAMILY’S TERROR JOURNEY

The video shows Belgacem using her as a shield after he apparently manages to get control of the weapon, but he exposes himself by standing up, giving her comrades a clear shot to kill him. The hostage soldier crawls away from her attacker on her hands and knees.

The entire episode took less than three minutes. No one at the airport was injured. The footage was provided to the AP on the condition that the source not be revealed.

Earlier Saturday, a police officer was shot in the face with birdshot when officers stopped Belgacem for a traffic violation.

Authorities say Belgacem, a 39-year-old Frenchman, had a long criminal record of drug and robbery offenses.

Autopsy toxicology tests found traces of cocaine and cannabis in Belgacem’s blood, according to the Paris prosecutors’ office. He also had 0.93 grams of alcohol per liter of blood when he died Saturday, the prosecutors’ office said. That is nearly twice the legal limit for driving in France. Prosecutors said Belgacem was at a bar early Saturday.

In an interview Sunday with French radio Europe 1, a man identified as the suspect’s father said Belgacem wasn’t a practicing Muslim and drank alcohol.

The artist behind an anti-Trump billboard seen along a Phoenix roadway defended her illustration of the president seen in between dollar-sign shaped swastikas and mushroom clouds.

“I think a lot of people are feeling this way and I’m just trying to express what I think is on a lot of people’s minds these days,” Karen Fiorito, the artist, told KPNX-TV on Saturday. “Something that really concerned us was this idea of a dictatorship where things were going in a certain direction.”

Clowns are also seen in the mushroom clouds and Trump is pictured wearing a Russian lapel. The opposite side of billboard has sign language, which stands for “unity,” Fox 10 Phoenix reported.

The California-based artist said she received backing from the billboard’s owner Beatrice Moore.

“I got the opportunity to have a platform to say something, and I took that opportunity, and I take full responsibility for it,” Fiorito told Fox 10 Phoenix.

Moore told KPNX-TV that the billboard will stay up as long as Trump is president.

“Some of these issues are so important you can’t not speak out,” Moore said.

Some residents around the billboard expressed their displeasure about the structure.

“I think this is the greatest thing that I’ve seen in a long time,” Mike Bolenbach told Fox 10 Phoenix. “I think everything Donald Trump is doing is destroying America from the inside.”

Jeff Whiteman added, “I don’t necessarily agree with the leader of our country and all the things going on, but I would not disrespect him or any leader.”

The pair was reportedly behind another controversial billboard. Fiorito created a billboard of then-President George W. Bush and other officials in 2004 as part of her master of fine arts thesis at Arizona State, according to KPNX-TV.

The billboard read: “Dear America, we lied to you for your own good. Now trust us.”

It’s no surprise your sex life will look different after your partner gives birth — at least temporarily. Between all of the physical, hormonal and emotional changes she’s dealing with, to the extreme exhaustion she is now facing, and settling into her new life with your baby, sex may not be as exciting, spontaneous or pleasurable as it once was for either of you.

In fact, after the birth of a baby men admitted to experiencing shifts in their sexual desire related to fatigue, stress and time, a study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found.

THESE AMERICANS ARE HAVING LESS SEX THAN THEY ONCE DID

Take heed, guys. Your sex life can be great again. But for now, here are some tips that will get you through.

1. Be understandingBefore you even think about having sex again, it’s important to understand what your partner is going through so you can re-establish intimacy.

Between non-stop feedings, diaper changes and everything else she has to do to care for your newborn, there’s a good chance she’s exhausted. Most moms don’t sleep for more than two or three hours at a time and they often don’t have — or ask for help.

“Today’s modern women want to take care of their babies,” Dr. Hilda Hutcherson, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, told Fox News. “There was a time when women would hand their babies off to someone else.”

WHY SOME MEN GET SLEEPY AFTER SEX

Your partner may also still have pain from vaginal tears or an episiotomy, which is a procedure during the second stage of labor to facilitate delivery. If she’s breastfeeding, her chest may be tender and leaking, and she might also have cracked, bleeding nipples.

Because breastfeeding causes estrogen levels to be low too, vaginal dryness can make sex uncomfortable, even painful. Prolactin, the hormone that’s released during breastfeeding, can also decrease libido and sexual pleasure.

2. Pitch inExhaustion will dampen her desire for sex, but studies suggest helping out with diaper changes, housework and meals can do a lot for your sex life, too.

In fact, when men pitched in, couples had sex more often and reported higher sexual satisfaction, a study in the Journal of Family Psychology found.

“I think that’s something that many women appreciate and can actually find the desire to want to connect more emotionally with their partner,” Chris Pegula, author of “Diaper Dude: The Ultimate Dad’s Guide to Surviving the First Two Years,” told Fox News.

THIS NEW TYPE OF CHEATING IS ON THE RISE

Offer to care for the baby for a few hours so she can rest, do your best to pitch in, consider hiring a cleaning service or a meal delivery service, or ask a family member to help out.

3. ReconnectSex might be on your mind, but for most women to want sex, they need to feel emotionally connected.

If possible, plan a date night, do something active or catch a movie — sans baby — to re-establish that emotional connection.

4. Be honestAlthough postpartum depression is usually associated with women, research in recent years suggests fathers can experience it too. In fact, a recent study in JAMA Psychiatry found that 4 percent of new dads experience symptoms of depression after the birth of a baby.

It’s normal to feel sad and depressed as you adjust to your new way of life, but your feelings likely have less to do with a lack of serotonin and more to do with grieving, Dr. Gary Brown, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Los Angeles, told Fox News.

Of course you love your partner and your baby, but it can be a challenge to realize that you now have to share your partner. Be honest with yourself and your partner, and keep the lines of communication open.

THE TRUTH ABOUT WHY HAVING SEX MAKES US HAPPY

5. Be patientAfter the six-week postpartum check-up, most women get the all-clear for sex. Although some are ready, for others, it could take up to year to feel desire again.

It can be tough to wait, but be patient and give her the time she needs. “Find other ways of enjoying each other or providing each other pleasure other than intercourse,” Hutcherson said.

6. Make her feel hot againWith all the attention now paid to your baby, many women start to see themselves more as mothers and less as sexual women.

With all of the changes that have happened to her body and the extra baby weight she’s carrying, she may not feel attractive anymore or even worry that her vagina isn’t as tight or desirable as it once was. “They assume that their partners can’t possibly see them as attractive anymore because they changed so much physically,” Hutcherson said.

To help her feel good about herself and more likely that she’ll want sex, shower her with kindness and compassion, and make sure she knows you still find her sexy.

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7. Go with the flowRecognize that sex may not come as naturally or be as steamy as it once was. In fact, it can almost be like the first time you ever had sex, especially if she’s in pain.

It’s also natural to feel guilty about having sex because you don’t want to hurt her or perhaps you feel uncomfortable being intimate with your new baby in the same room.

Continue to communicate, make time for each other and be flexible, and your sex life will be exciting again as it once was.

Julie Revelant is a health journalist and a consultant who provides content marketing and copywriting services for the healthcare industry. She’s also a mom of two. Learn more about Julie at revelantwriting.com.

Tilda Swinton’s former partner has revealed that he is the child of an incestuous relationship – and described the union as “traditional.”

Scottish artist John Byrne, 77, found out that his grandfather Patrick McShane was actually his dad after his aunt Helen died in 2002.

But after a period of hating his granddad, he has now come to accept his unusual lineage – and revealed that it’s not as uncommon as people might think.

He said: “I think he gave me that wonderful mixture of genes with his own daughter, the eldest of the family.

“That’s what they do in Ireland. I presume it’s what they do in unlettered places, and lettered places.

“It’s traditional, and nobody speaks about it.”

PHOTO: Tilda Swinton Is Absolutely Unrecognizable

As a child, John recalls that his mom would regularly walk eight miles from their home in Paisley to his grandparents’ house in Cardonald – and in hindsight it was because she loved him like a partner.

He said: “She was in love with her own father, utterly and totally.

“She just wanted to be in his company. She couldn’t even confess it.

“My own father [his mum’s husband Patrick Byrne] didn’t know.”

John, who was the brains behind Scottish TV series “Tutti Frutti,” only discovered the shocking truth about his parentage when his cousin Aileen Kane called his and Tilda‘s remote Scottish home to tell him that her mom had passed away.

Speaking to The UK Times, he said: “Helen told Aileen what my mother had told her, when she was much younger.

“Aileen asked Tilda, ‘Do you think I should tell [him]?’ Tilda said, ‘You’ve got to tell him.’ She called me in and handed me the phone.”

However, his cousin didn’t deliver the news over the phone, instead meeting in Glasgow to tell him face to face.

John’s mom died in the 1980s after a long battle with mental illness, which in hindsight John thinks stemmed from her incestuous relationship.

The Scotsman, who has two children with “Narnia” star Tilda, admitted that he felt hatred for his grandfather after the truth about his parentage came out – but slowly “everything fell into place”.

He said that his attitude went from “he died of cancer, hell mend him” to realizing that he had only ever felt love for the man.

John, who met Tilda in 1985, added: “It’s because I admitted to myself that I adored my grandfather, beforehand.

“What did he do to me particularly, that damaged me? I don’t think he did damage me.”

John and Tilda split up in 2005 but continued to live together for years, looking after the couple’s 17-year-old twins Xavier and Honor in Scotland while Tilda worked on a string of blockbusters.

In 2008 she moved in a younger lover, Sandro Kopp – who is 18 years her junior – and the trio co-habited.

Speaking about the unusual arrangement, Tilda said: “The father of my children and I are good friends and I’m now in a very happy other relationship.

“And we’re all really good friends. It’s a very happy situation.

“Life doesn’t have to be complicated. You just have to have compassion with yourself and stop blaming yourself when things do get complicated.”

The Galaxy S8 will likely raise the bar for phone design, but will the premium be too high?

Based on the latest leaks, spotted by 9to5 Google, Samsung’s new flagships look amazing but could be priced out of reach for some shoppers.

Let’s start with the new color options. Based on images obtained by Evan Blass, the S8 will be available in Black Sky, Orchid Grey and Arctic Silver. Another photo that circulated over the weekend (via SamMobile and Slash Leaks) shows a sleek new Violet option as well.

All of these images line up with previous Galaxy S8 rumors, as the handset has very thin bezels above and below the display. The font is almost all screen, which means you should expect a virtual home button . The fingerprint sensor will be on the back, based on numerous reports and leaked images, and it won’t be in the best location .

As for pricing, Blass says the 5.8-inch S8 will cost 799 Euros, which comes out to about $859 in U.S. dollars. This would be about a $100 premium over the S7 Edge from last year.

Meanwhile, the larger Galaxy S8 Plus is said to start at a pretty steep 899€, which works out to $966. This would easily be one of the most expensive phones yet. Other rumors have the upcoming iPhone 8 costing upwards of $1,000 . However, it’s important to note that Samsung and U.S. carriers generally price its phones a bit lower than the exchange rate.

To put those numbers in perspective, the new LG G6 , which has a sexy design of its own, costs anywhere from $650 to $720, depending on the provider.

As reported on by 9to5 Google, Blass also leaked the supposed pricing for multiple Galaxy S8 accessories. This includes a new 360 camera ($246), a new version of the Gear VR headset we previewed ($138) and an innovative desktop dock called DeX ($161) that will let you transform the S8 into a mini PC, complete with external monitor, mouse and keyboard support.

Samsung will announce the official pricing for the S8 at its March 29 event, and we’ll be there to bring you all the details and our hands-on impressions.

That certainly goes for Julia, a Muppet youngster with blazing red hair, bright green eyes — and autism. Rather than being treated like an outsider, which too often is the plight of kids on the spectrum, Julia is one of the gang.

Look: On this friendliest of streets (actually Studio J at New York’s Kaufman Astoria Studios, where “Sesame Street” lives) Julia is about to play a game with Oscar, Abby and Grover. In this scene being taped for airing next season, these Muppet chums have been challenged to spot objects shaped like squares or circles or triangles.

“You’re lucky,” says Abby to Grover. “You have Julia on your team, and she is really good at finding shapes!”

With that, they skedaddle, an exit that calls for the six Muppeteers squatted out of sight below them to scramble accordingly. Joining her pals, Julia (performed by Stacey Gordon) takes off hunting.

For more than a year, Julia has existed in print and digital illustrations as the centerpiece of a multifaceted initiative by Sesame Workshop called “Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children.”

She has been the subject of a storybook released along with videos, e-books, an app and website. The goal is to promote a better understanding of what the Autism Speaks advocacy group describes as “a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences.”

But now Julia has been brought to life in fine Muppet fettle. She makes her TV debut on “Sesame Street” in the “Meet Julia” episode airing April 10 on both PBS and HBO. Additional videos featuring Julia will be available online.

Developing Julia and all the other components of this campaign has required years of consultation with organizations, experts and families within the autism community, according to Jeanette Betancourt, Sesame Workshop’s senior vice president of U.S. Social Impact.

“In the U.S., one in 68 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder,” she says. “We wanted to promote a better understanding and reduce the stigma often found around these children. We’re modeling the way both children and adults can look at autism from a strength-based perspective: finding things that all children share.”

Julia is at the heart of this effort. But while she represents the full range of children on the spectrum, she isn’t meant to typify each one of them: “Just as we look at all children as being unique, we should do the same thing when we’re looking at children with autism,” Betancourt says.

It was with keen interest that Stacey Gordon first learned of Julia more than a year ago. “I said, ‘If she’s ever a puppet, I want to BE Julia!'”

No wonder. Gordon is a Phoenix-based puppeteer who performs, conducts classes and workshops, and creates whimsical puppets for sale to the public.

She also has a son with autism, and, before she started her family, was a therapist to youngsters on the spectrum.

Although she figured her chances of landing the dream role of Julia were nil, her contacts in the puppet world paid off: Two friends who worked as Muppeteers on “Sesame Street” dropped her name to the producers. After submitting tapes, then coming to New York for an audition, she was hired.

In the introductory segment, Julia is having fun with Abby and Elmo when Big Bird walks up. He wants to be her new friend, but she doesn’t speak to him. He thinks she doesn’t like him.

“She does things just a little differently, in a Julia sort of way,” Abby informs him.

Julia, chuckling, then displays a different-but-fun way of playing tag, and everyone joins in. But when a siren wails, she covers her ears and looks stricken.

“She needs to take a break,” Big Bird’s human friend Alan calmly explains. Soon, all is well and play resumes.

“The ‘Meet Julia’ episode is something that I wish my son’s friends had been able to see when they were small,” says Gordon. “I remember him having meltdowns and his classmates not understanding how to react.”

Gordon says her son, now 13, isn’t drawn to puppetry. “He’s more interested in math and science, and plays the piano brilliantly,” she says with pride.

But she’s having a blast being part of the show that helped hook her, as a child, on puppeteering.

“It is so much fun to be on set with everyone, and get to play up all the positive things I’ve seen with the kids that I’ve worked with,” Gordon says. “At the same time, I come at this with a reverence. I don’t want to let the autism community down.”